Have you ever thought: “wow, the therapist only comes once per week. How could they possibly be making a difference”. Yep, it’s true. For several reasons, therapy is often limited to such a short period on time, on an infrequent basis.  

Don’t get me wrong. This style stills makes a mighty impact when it comes to the development of your loved ones therapy goals. But could we get more out of that 1hr? Absolutely! 

Enter……..Coaching.  

Picture this. You have been waiting months for an OT appointment. Finally, you get a call back and you book in your first appointment. You begin to unload all the challenges and stress (which is so valid) that has been happening over the last however long. You have on the edge of your seat, expectantly waiting for the response. Some great wisdom, the perfect strategy, the most recent cutting-edge findings that will finally solve all your family’s problems. But to your shock and surprise, the therapist pauses for all too long (so long you think they have zoned out) and then they say “well, what do you think?” What do I think?!?! Isn’t that your job!!. You’re the expert!  

This type of encounter might be a bit awkward or even frustrating (trust me, it’s the same for many therapists who first begin to use coaching).  

But here’s the truth.  

A therapist may spend 1hr per week with your loved one, but how many hours do you spend with them? 167? 335? Either way, it’s a heck of a lot more hours than the therapist ever will. So, what if within those hours, you could be actively practising actions that have come out of a productive, collaborative and mutually understanding conversation with an OT to you’re your loved one reach their goals?  

For this to happen something needs to change. The lens of who has the power to make change and who has “expert” knowledge needs to shift from the therapist to the caregiver. Scary I know. I can already hear the therapists say “ow but what bout my skills, my knowledge and my expertise. I know what to do” and I can hear the parents say “but I don’t know anything. I haven’t got professional training”. Big change, I know.  

It’s not that therapist expertise gets thrown out the window or that parent worries as not considered. It’s just a shift of perspective to recognise the caregiver as the primarily agent of change and the therapist as a knowledgeable guide to help show the way.  

A shift needs to take place from parents leaving sessions going “what the heck did they just do” to having felt empowered, understood, valued and clear on what the next steps are to seeing goals realised.  

It might feel overwhelming. The prospect of a therapist sitting down with you as the caregiver rather than going straight to your loved one. You might feel like you don’t have time, capacity or have run out of ideas.  

I get it.  

That’s why we start small.  

Coaching aims at establishing a realistic goal, that is vitally important to you and your family. Exploration around strategies that have already been tried (both positive and negative). Finally, some small and simple actions steps that start you on the journey of achieving that all impactful and family changing goal.  

After one coaching session, I guarantee you will feel empowered, motivated, understood, connected and all round excited to begin working on the goals that you know will bring health and wellbeing to your loved one and family.  

If you’d like to try coaching, please reach out and we can discuss how we may be able to support.